If an item or organism existed in a color not detectable in "our"spectrum, would it be invisable or gray?

Answer 1

Black. We see an object because of light hitting the surface of the object and bouncing off into our eye, and the colors are caused by the varying wavelengths at which the light reflects. So your theoretical object would reflect, say, only infrared rays, which are invisible to the human eye; it will reflect nothing visible, as per the parameters posed by the question. To us, the light would appear to hit the object and disappear; and if no visible light is bouncing off of the object and hitting our eyes, then it will appear black. It won't appear transparent because light rays coming from objects in back of the item will still rebound off of the object in infrared, not go through it.

Answer 2

Well it depends, but first your question doesn't include all the possible answers. You've only allowed for the possiblity of grey and invisible. Anyways, the first important part of the answer comes from wether or not it will absorb light waves of the spectrum we can see. If it does not, then it will be transparent, such as glass. If it does, then it depends on which ones it absorbs and whether or not its reflective. For example red colored glass absorbs all the wavelengths in our spectrum except red. But a standard opaque red object absorbs all the wavelengths in our spectrum except red and in fact reflects red. If it were to absorb all the wavelengths (or colors) in our spectrum then it would appear black. This is all further complicated by the fact that everything that has temperature radiates. This is known as blackbody radiation. And there is the phenomena of neon colors but i digress. To answer your question, unless it is completely transparent (and even then it depends on its index of refraction) your probably going to notice it.

Answer 3

By defination if it is not detectable in "our" spectrum, then it must be invisible. Grey is detectable in our spectrum, so it is excluded as a possibility just like yellow, black, and the rest of the colors.

Answer 4

It would be invisible. The basic deffinition of the word is that something does not reflect visible light, which is the spectrum in which we see. You would be able to detect it in other wavelengths with the proper instruments.
The color black is a reflection of light in all visible colors.
FYI space is black because of lack of reflection of light in any wavelength.

Answer 5

I believe it would be invisible. Lately scientist have realized that birds like sparrows and wrens, and also some kinds of butterflies, have colors on them that are only visible in ultraviolet. But we do not see them all in gray. Some of the species have no gray on them at all.

Answer 6

Gray is detectable. So what colour is this new colour that is not detectable? If it exists it is a colour, simply one we cannot see nor have a name for. Colours are the reflection of light bouncing off a surface normally, so this undetectable colour would be the colour of light, or one of the colours of light.

Answer 7

We just wouldn't be about to see it. Invisible. Like if the organism was made out of heat, we would not be about to see the heat, but that does not mean we won't be able to see steam come off him, or feel the heat.

Answer 8

It would appear black. Black is the absence of light, or absence of light we can see. That is why an ultraviolet light is sometimes called a black light. We cannot see ultraviolet, so the light bulb just looks like it isn't turned on to our eyes.

Answer 9

it would probly be gray...unless our eyes cant pick it up on any wavelength, such as rods (google rods and you will see what i mean, and i am not talking about the rods in our eyes but a species that we are not even sure are really there or not), we would be able to see them just not as they really are....

Answer 10

If it reflects no light in the visibile spectrum it will appear black.